DisPATched: In Her Element Nourish & Cleanse Balm

DisPATched is a column where L'Officiel Manila assistant editor Patricia Medina talks about whatever piques her interest in the beauty world. This week, she talks about her newfound belief in coconut oil through In Her Element's Nourish & Cleanse Balm.

Beauty blogger Liz Lanuzo recently launched her own skincare line, In Her Element, with the Nourish and Cleanse Balm as the banner product. The balm is pretty straightforward: It nourishes dry areas on the skin, and it cleanses the face from impurities. When it comes to the ingredients, it keeps the list short too. It’s basically coconut oil, cocoa butter, and beeswax mixed with some scents and a bit of color. It’s a simple product that surprisingly makes a lot of things easier for the busy woman who ought to have a beauty routine.

I’ve always heard that coconut oil is amazing for the skin, but I never got around to actually using it. I’m not a fan of lotions or creams, and I put oils up in the same category. I thought that In Her Element’s balm would be a good introduction for coconut oil to me.

The first thing you’ll notice once you open the jar is the scent. It smells like chocolate cake – not a slice, but a full cake. The smell is quite strong, and it might be off putting for those who aren’t fans of food-inspired scents. The chocolate vanilla aroma tends to become stronger as you apply it on the skin, thus making you think that you’re slathering cake on your body.

As for me, I enjoy the scent. It might just be a little “too real” for those who prefer floral scents.

The Nourish and Cleanse Balm’s “nourish” side works like a salve. Other than applying it on the lips, you can apply it to cracked heels, elbows, cuticles, and knees. According to the box, it can prevent chafing – so that’s good for thunder thighed women like me.

I generously applied the product every night on my heels and elbows before I went to bed, as recommended in the box. As expected, it did the job of reviving dry patches of skin really well. My heels that I thought were beyond salvation miraculously healed after only two nights. My elbows are getting to the smoothness that I’m trying to achieve, and at publishing time, I would’ve been using this for a little bit over a week now. I would say that it’s currently at a 7/10 from a 5 in terms of smoothness.

When it comes to chafing, it does okay. I didn’t get any “burns” after a full day at work. It’s important to only put a manageable amount because it does get sticky if too much of it is applied.

There have been stubborn dry spots on my face (around my lips to be exact) for the past couple of months, and I applied the balm to these areas as well. While it wasn’t an instant fix like it was on my heels, the dry spots have visibly improved and makeup applies a little bit better now in that area.

Probably what I found most impressive was the “cleansing” side of In Her Element’s Nourish and Cleansing Balm. I’ve been removing makeup with Kiehl’s Midnight Cleansing Oil recently, and that one works so well that I’ve actually let go of Micellar Water.

With that in mind, I wasn’t too excited in using this for that purpose. When I finally tried it out, I was very pleased with the results. I can say that it could rival Kiehl’s in removing makeup. I initially thought that it would leave a sticky residue, but with a good rinse, it wasn’t an issue at all. The best thing about it was I didn’t use a lot of product while doing so.

I know that there are tons of other uses for this product, and I’m excited to try everything else out. In Her Element’s Nourish and Cleanse Balm convinced me that coconut oil is the real deal. The product itself is good, but I found myself more curious about its simple ingredients. If anything, I might try using coconut oil alone after this.

In Her Element also just came out with their own Cleansing Oil, and I’m pretty excited to try that one out as well. Personally, I think In Her Element’s branding is on point and it’s even better that the products deliver. I’m looking forward to whatever they’ll be launching next.